Been thinking really hard about getting a Bergara HMR but I'm second guessing myself now. I only have access to a 200yd range, anything longer and I have to wait until the crops are out of the field but even then I can only squeeze around 450yds from the only safe place to shoot. I wasn't planning on getting really serious into the long range game, just wanted to play around from time to time when I get bored with the other stuff.

Maybe I'd be better off just getting a cheaper thin barreled .308 hunting rifle instead of a specialized gun. Or just stick with my rack grade ARs and rimfire rifles.

"Precision" can mean many things.  For me, although longer range shooting is part of the mix, I spend more time at 100 and 200 yards shooting tiny sub MOA groups, often sub 1/2 MOA.  The rifle and my handloads are sub 1/2 MOA, but my trigger finger, cheek weld and breathing often let me down.

Also, a great alternative, if longer distances are not available during some seasons, is precision .22LR shooting.  Try precision .22LR with Ely Black Box or Lapua Center X match ammo at 200 yards in a match quality rifle.  It is humbling.  With that setup you will have the accuracy, but developing bullet drop and wind doping skills are challenging.  This is great practice for centerfire shooting at longer distances.  You will likely enjoy this as much as I do.

Perhaps see if a buddy will loan you a heavy barrel rifle. Take it out and play. See if long range is really "your thing". It's a passion or it's not. For me 200 is bordering on too close to shoot at and still be entertained.

None of my buddies have anything other than thin barreled rifles. I've had a couple heavy barreled varmint rifles in .223 over the years and tried playing with them out to 400yds but I found that I just struggled and gave up with them. I was told the light 55-69gr bullets my guns would shoot just don't play well past 200yds unless it's dead calm which is rare around here, they were good enough for minute of coyote but nothing that would shoot tight groups.

So what you need is training, not a new rifle. Come out to Kommiefornia for 3 days and I'll teach you for free so that you're not flying blind. We'll attend a local PRS match so you'll learn not just how to belly crawl but also how to shoot off of barricades and a lot about what equipment is good for what use case. PM me for deets if you'd like to pursue this option. With any 55-69gr bullet you should be able to engage 2.5moa targets to 300m with pretty serious regularity and 500m targets with a little bit less regularity. I use a .223 in matches pretty regularly and I have no trouble at all reaching to the supersonic limits of the load. Even strong winds can be worked with. Rapidly changing/gusting winds are a lot more challenging but can be worked with as well.

I've been very happy with my 6mm Creedmoor HMR. Very accurate with factory ammo, extremely pleasant to shoot and low recoil.
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I say go for it. Maybe you won't get to stretch it out often but it's still fun.

Good advice here on the 22lr side.  I have been enjoying trying to push the limits of my 22 rifles with some eley.

This is a great offer. Hopefully OP can take it up.

Yeah you can shoot to 400-500 no problem with 223 and I do it all of the time.

Sounds to me like a precision .22 rimfire or PCP might be a good start. Then maybe a .223 tikka or Howa.

Thanks for the generous offer but having to go to CA is a deal breaker for me. There is really no good time for me to take an entire week off to make a trip like that anyway(I'd have to drive since I don't fly either).

The more I think about it I don't think I have the time(or patience)to dedicate to precision type shooting. I'll probably just stick to the shorter range stuff.

You can do precision shooting at short range. PCP's are perfect for that. They will even reach out to over a 100 yards now days. And a good Precision .22 will get you in the 300 yard ball park. Learning to read wind is the best thing you can do. And the rimfire or PCP will teach you that.

69 grain SMK's shoot very well past 300 yards. All bullets require the shooter to compensate for wind conditions either by hold offs or clicking into the wind. It's an art that gets better with practice. I own a lot of firearms, to include several Palma rifles. I rarely have the opportunity to use them at 800 to 1000 yards.

When I deer hunt I take a cheap Savage .308 with a pencil barrel. It's only a 2 moa rifle, but almost all of my shots are inside 200 yards in Michigan. It's a knock around rifle that gets no love. It works just fine as is. I think I paid $350 for it. I did use Devcon Steel Epoxy to bed the action.

Currently ammo is expensive and rarely in stock. I've been handloading for just under 40 years now, so I'm able to manufacture anything I want. Quality bullets in .223 (68 to 77 grains) are very accurate and extend range, but they are not designed for hunting. I doubt any coyote will be able to tell the difference if you hit them. I have been so impressed with the AR-15 as far as accuracy is concerned I don't use anything else most of the time. If you plan to hunt deer I would get something bigger, even if it's just another upper in 6.8SPC or 6.5 Grendel.

if you want long range, but only have 200 yards, get a .22 and look into NRL22 or precision .22 shooting. We go out to 500 often in NRL-X matches.

or get a good PCP.  100 yards is very long range for an airgun. Get and FX Impact or other high end PCP.  200 is a LOONG way to one of those.

600yds with 55gr out of an ar style At a 15" round should be about max range with little to no wind.

Do it.

More worth it to develop the skills than buy the gun.

You can do that with a 22.

For me building the confidence that I can pull a shot off at 4-600 yards starts at 100 yards. I really enjoy shooting “precision” groups at 100 on out. I have a new precision gun on order and I will be happy shooting it at 100 or 1,000 yards. It is that occasional .18-.25” group that keeps me coming back. Ymmv…

https://www.americanrimfire.com/

I’m in kommifornia. Can I come and play?!